The Girl Next Door • Carl Grimes

Chapter 30: Ballpoint Pen

Carl

After Grace pretty much told me she didn't exactly love me the way I loved her, I was pretty torn up and hurt. I decided to leave the room to cool off for a second.

"Carl wait-" she said, as I turned back and walked back in.

"Ye-" I was cut off, by the sound of machine guns firing from outside. I started running when I heard Grace yelling.

"Carl wait please! I- I cant get up! What's happening?!" She yelled as I ran back for her.

"Carlllll!" My dad yelled. I was torn, and I didn't know what to do, and where to go. I ran to my dad, maybe he knew what was going on.

"Carl. Take these guns. Give one to Beth and Grace. Keep the other one with you, and the 4th, hide it somewhere smart in the cell. Get Judith, Beth, and Grace all in one cell. Use bedsheets from any beds and hang them over all the cells, lock all the cells too. It will trick anyone if they try to come in. If the baby cries, Carl, well I don't know, you'll have to figure that out on your own. Now go, go get Beth to help. Grace is in no shape to do so." My dad ordered me. I ran back to Grace, told her the plan while talking really fast.

I ran to find Beth and Judith. I brought Judith's crate to the room with Grace, and slid it under the lower bed, under Grace like a drawer. We put some pillows around to muffle the noise of any crying.

Beth and I quickly duct taped all sheets to the top of the cells, and closed the doors and locked them. Then we did so from the inside of our cell.

We stayed hidden in our cell for what felt like a long time, until we heard footsteps. I motioned everyone to get on the bottom bunk with Grace and scoot up against the wall, this was clearly very painful for Grace but she did it silently.

We then heard talking, and we knew it wasn't our people. Could it be those governer people i over heard them taking about?

We heard them head upstairs and Grace started to get up, take the gun I thought I hid well, the one in her hand, and the keys from me. She snuck out quietly and locked us back in.

"Who the hell are you!" She screamed at the people, "what are you doing in my home?!"

"I- we we have someone hurt. We were leaving this wooded area nearby when we heard machine gun shots. It sounded dangerous so we came in the building. There was a rip in a fence and a part of the building was exploded open at some point so that's how we got in!" I heard the people, they didn't sound like liars and they needed help.

"Listen I don't care who you are or what you're doing but I can't trust you. Not with those people out there shooting at the rest of my- aghh-" she grunted, "People. My people. Why should I not shoot you all right now? You could be a threat, how am i supposed to know that you're not?" She asked.

"I understand why you would think that. We get it. We've been on the road a while and-" a woman began to say.

"She bit?" Grace hissed.

"Well yes.." a man said, "but she just needs help!" He cried.

Bang.

I heard the safety of a gun now click and I slightly moved the curtain so I could see. I placed my gun on one of the cell door bars and I aimed it towards the man who was holding his gun at Grace. Two of the people, a man and a woman who looked like siblings were yelling at the other guy to stop. I fired at him, but purposely right near him, so it would hit the concrete.

I pulled the curtain back and hid once again.

"We've got snipers lined up in each and every one of these cells. You should be glad the nice one shot at you. Otherwise, you'd be dead. I'm gonna need you to drop all weapons at my feet. Come up, nice and slowly, if you have anything else on you I won't be scared to pat you down. My uncles a cop. In fact, he's here. Out there." I was really proud of her and I had forgotten all about what she had said to me.